Knights of the Silence
The Knights of the Silence are a semi-''Codex'' compliant Successor Chapter created from lineage of the stoic Imperial Fists during an Unknown Founding. A fleet-based Chapter, the Knights of the Silence willing take the fight to the enemies of Mankind, to bring the light of the Emperor to the darkest corners of the galaxy, and purge the apostate, the heretic and the xenos with the righteous fire of their bolters and blades. Chapter History The Beginning In the beginning the Knights of the Silence were a standard Codex-compliant chapter, which was typical of many Successor Chapters of the Imperial Fists. But eventually, this would all change, as the newly promoted Chapter Master Erichson saw that the Codex Astartes what made the Space Marines weak. Though a superbly written manual on tactics and combat doctrine, Erichson came to the conclusion that to follow its teachings through blind orthodoxy, as other more rigidly-adherent Chapters did, was both foolish and unwise. He believed that by rigidly adhering to dogma was what led to much of the stagnation and apparent difficulties that currently run rampant throughout the wider Imperium. Through his years of vast experience, Erichson had learned that having a Space Marine Chapter was great, having even more would be even better. His idea was that if he had a Legion, he could easily crush the foes of the Emperor. So Erichson petitioned the High Lords of Terra to have a Successor Chapter created from their gene-seed, the first being the Knights of the Erichson. The High Lords granted the Chapter Master's request in recognition of his Chapter's many valorous deeds. The Growth of Silence As centuries passed, the chapter's unity grew closer, and the Chapter Master of the Knights of the Silence knew every move of his Successor Chapter. The Chapter Master, now known as the 'Master of Silence', was worried. Erichson, knew that there might be some problems with Inquisition, and if they were accused of any wrongdoing, they might be deemed as renegades or these Chapters would be broken apart. Although the Successor Chapter were duty-bound to run their Chapters autonomously in accordance to the dictates of the Codex Astartes, it was strongly suspected by some within the Imperium, especially the Inquisition, that the Knights of the Silence and their Successor Chapter showed too much deference to the Master of Silence of their Progenitor Chapter. It is, at least partially, this rumour of forbidden "Legion-building" that has caused the High Lords of Terra to abstain from creating any more Chapters from the gene-seed of the Knights of the Silence during subsequent Foundings. The Inquisition is well aware of the unusually close ties between this quintumvirate of Chapters, named by Erichson as 'The Great Two', were as close as blood brothers, as they operated as one entity when gathered together. Though rarely seen by outsiders, so as not to raise suspicion, on occasion there have been scattered reports of this fraternity of Scions of Dorn gathering together for common cause or coming to one another's aid during times of crisis, and when they have done so, they have achieved great victories and averted several potential disasters throughout the Imperium's long history. Fortunately, the Inquisition is unaware of their closest guarded secret, that ultimately, these Chapters all take their orders from one man. The Knights of the Silence and their brother Chapters take great pains to hide this dire secret from everyone, including their own genetic forebears, the First Founding Imperial Fists. Erichson's primary objective was to find a flagship large enough to hold several companies from both chapters when they were gathered in conclave. During one of their numerous campaigns, the Knights of the Silence eventually recovered an enhanced battleship of an unknown class, a relic of the Dark Age of Technology and of ancient provenance. They named their newly acquired Chapter flagship The Silence. Notable Campaigns and Conflicts The Rude Awakening (Unknown Date.M39) On a planet nearby there was a disturbance of high unknown energy. The energy was very strong and caught the attention of a Planetary Governor of a near by planet. And he sent out expeditionary forces of his personal PDF troops. When the troops arrived the scanners on the ships were already going static. They went to investigate and they found a tunnel leading underground which led them to their deaths. After that the Governor confirmed it was some sort of unknown xenos. This was eventually passed on to the High Lords of Terra. The High Lords did not wanna take a chance, so they ordered a space marine chapter to investigate. Which led the Knights of the Silence to confirm that these were not any normal xenos but Necrons. Once confirmed, the High Lords of Terra ordered the Knights of the Silence and its successor chapter to launch a crusade on these Necrons. The Knights of the Silence ordered the Great Two to destroy the foe. Once arriving the chapters deployed and found nothing. After hours of searching the ground started shaking and a giant hole from the planet split open. Out came thousands of Necrons from the hole and slaughtering the chapters marines. Then the chapters pulled back and reorganized and made a massive defense line while the fleets bombarded the Necrons. Erichson ordered for the Great Two to deploy all forces to the line. After hours of fighting and many deaths on both sides the Great Two prevailed but with high losses. This will forever be remembered in the Great Twos history as its bloodiest battle. The Saviors (Unknown Date.M40) The second crusade started when a Ork warboss named GrimSkull attacked an imperial world. They sent out a distress signal for help, and the knights of the silence were the only ones that were the nearest fighting force in the sector. For the amount of time that it took to get to the imperial world lots of the world was already in chaos. So the knights of the silence called for the successor chapter to assemble to this sector with haste which they responded and headed to the imperial world. When the knights of silence arrived the other Division were still in route. So the Knights were forced to stand their ground until the its successor chapter arrived. It was 4 to 1 but their ships were no match compared to Space Marine ships in fire power. So as the battle for space went on, the ground forces were sent down to the planet to help with the defense of the capital. Other strategic sites that were important to hold were fortified by the supreme Noble of Silence Arthur Del. Del was in charge of the ground forces and to get the capital back under control and to hold the line from the Orks. Hours have passed the Master of silence Erichson took care of the Ork fleet. Erichson went down to the plant to see what the Orks were doing in person and brought his 1st company with him. Erichson was gathering Intel on how many Orks there were and was planning a counter attack. For the next 6 hours Erichson and Arthur Del were planning a counter attack against the Green skins. During that time the other Division showed up and were informed of the plan. So Erichson and Arthur Del was to to be at the front line with the 1st company and the others that were first deployed. And the other division deployed companies to the front knowing the plan. While the ship’s from orbit fired and the company's deployed from the division split into groups and surround them. To take them out from the sides. When the Orks are fighting the Knights of Silence because the Orks thought they were the only marines there.The Orks would fight only what marines they seen. So for the next 2 hours the Division got into position. The Orks seen the main front line and charged at the Knights of the silences main line. As that was happening the other division were taking their position on the flanks. So when the Orks got in range the Knights of the silence opened fire on the Orks. The ships from orbit were hitting the Orks in the back so the only way out was forward. As the Orks got closer Erichson had the tanks fire at them. When the Orks were 200 meters away from the the knights of the silence, Erichson executed the trap. The other division came into contact with the enemy and there were thousands of them. But the Great Two had the advantage by having better weapons and tactics. The Great Two had gotten air support from the fleet to somewhat suppress the Orks. Erichson knew the best way to defeat the Orks was to kill the Warboss. So Erichson seen the Warboss and charged to kill him. But it wasn't going to be that easy the duel went on for sometime until the Warboss was full of bullet holes from Erichsons Storm Bolter. Erichson cut off the Warbosses head and showed it to the Orks and the Orks were trying to Flee. But they were surrounded and for the next 2 hours the Orks were killed. Hunted down and the Imperial world was avenged thanks to the Great Two. A Hero Emerges (Unknown Date.M41) In an unknown region of space the Knights of the silence were on there way to another sector. When an imperial colony was under attack by Necrons. The colony sent a distress signal to any imperial forces nearby. It was going to take some time to get there, in the meantime the Master of Silence Erichson and Supreme Noble of Silence Arthur Del we're figuring out a plan of action for when they got to the sector. The plan was made and was given to the II company's leader Count Aurelian. He was briefed on the mission, the count got his orders and was gathering his brothers to the Thunderhawks and briefed his brothers on the mission. Knights of the silence arrived to the imperial colony and II company had the green light to start their deployment to the plant. Count Aurelian was looking for a good landing zone so he found an open field which had a good advantage for them. So they were close from the landing zone but there was some Necron patrols in the area. When the Thunderhawks landed they were under fire. They were in combat and as the rest of the Company Thunderhawks were landing. It took a bit to get rid of the Necrons but Count Aurelian kept his wit and made sure it went smooth. After organizing his brothers Aurelian came up with a strategy to defeat the Necrons. Aurelians plan, was to have his brothers distract the main Necron force while he personally hunts down the Necron Lord.As the company was approaching the colony settlement they were ambushed. Aurelian started shouting out orders and noticing the Necrons flanking them. So he order a couple of squads to cover the flanks. He lost a couple of brothers but they pushed the Necrons back to the settlement. As Aurelian got his company into position, he ordered the attack. When the attack started, Aurelian went around and eventually found the Lord. Aurelian killed the Lords bodyguards and engaged the Necron in a duel. Fighting for a long time and eventually destroying the Lord but left many scars on his Armour and leaving Aurelian very exhausted. After Aurelian returned to his company he found most of them dead and only very few survived. Afterwords the company returned to the rest of the fleet and was held at a very high regard. Erichson was displeased on Aurelians strategy's but was happy with the Result. Chapter Beliefs Chaplin's lead prayers to keep the morale up and to keep the chapter pure every time before battle. The knights of silence belief is praying to the Primarch Rogal Dorn. They pray to him to give them zeal and keep unity among the Great Two. The chapter prays that one day Dorn will return to all of his sons. The Knights of Silence also pray to the Emperor of Mankind, for his protection and guidance against the foes of the imperium of man. The Knights view the Emperor not as a God but a great leader. One that restores humanity and unites us all. The Knights of the Silence do not worry about political matters such as their 1st founding chapter the Imperial Fists. But they worry more about chapter tactics and battle strategies. Chapter Gene-Seed The Knights of the Silence gene-seed comes from Rogal Dorn. It gives them the flaw of being more stubborn but in return they get an impressive amount of zeal. Chapter Organisation Though the Knights of the Silence nominally follow the tenets of the Codex Astartes, they possess their own unique variations of organisation, structure and formations not seen in other Adeptus Astartes Chapters. Each Division (or Chapter) of The Great Two consists of 1,000 battle-brothers, including Scouts and several commanding officers and Chapter specialists. Each Division possesses 10 companies which are found in a regular Codex-compliant Chapter. The only difference is that since they specialize in superb marksmanship, these Companies posses far more Tactical Squads then any other squad specialty types. The other Division, compared to the Knights of the Silence, all possess the same mind-set and attitude. So they don't have any unique traits other than their own unique Chapter colours and iconography. Command Ranks *'Master of Silence' - Chapter Master equivalent *'Supreme Noble of Silence' - First Captain equivalent, second-in-command of the Chapter. *'Knight Champion' Emperor's Champion and Honour Guard Captain equivalent. *'Nobles of Silence' - Senior commanders of the Chapter. They are the main leaders of each Division and act like standard Chapter Masters. *'Company Counts' - Company Counts, or simply Counts, are equivalent to the rank of Captain. *'Duke' - Sergeant equivalent. Elite Formations Silent Knights There are only eleven Silent Knights within The Great Two, including Knight Champion Marcus Steel. These eleven Honour Guards are highly trained and very deadly. All of them have mastered the art of war and combat, having trained, fought and bled, and uncounted battles and campaigns. These warrior-elite are highly respected by everyone and serve as a part of The Great Two. Units (Battleline Formations) Knights The Veterans of the Chapter are referred to as 'Knights'. Within the Knights of the Silence there are several distinguishing ranks: *'Silent Knights' - Honor Guard equivalent, the Chapter possesses ten of these highly-skilled warriors which are exclusive to the Knights of Silence, and act as elite bodyguard to the Master of Silence Erichson. *'Greater Knights' - Terminator elite veterans. *'Vanguard Knights' - Vanguard Veterans of the Chapter. *'Sternguard Knights' - Sternguard Veterans equivalent. *'Assault Brothers' - Assault Marines equivalent. *'Support Brothers' - Devastator Marines equivalent. *'Battle-Brothers - '''Tactical Marines equivalent. *'New Bloods''' - Scout Marines equivalent. Chapter Specialists *'Brother Librarians' - Librarian equivalent. *'Healers' - Apothecary equivalent. *'Knight Chaplain' - Chaplain equivalent. *'Tech Masters' - Techmarine equivalent. Chapter Recruitment As a fleet-based Chapter, the Knights of the Silence take potential Aspirants from several different planets. Mostly, the Chapter tries to recruit from worlds that possess a greater population then others. Since they are a fleet-based chapter, they possess no home world to train on. Therefore, all induction and training is carried out aboard their Chapter flagship, The Silence. These New Bloods are forced to undergo several grueling trials of survival, which includes: -Having to survive the melee trial the New Blood goes hand to hand combat with a battle brother. The initiate does not have to win but survive for 8 minutes. -Being dropped down to a xenos infested planet as a squad of 4. With basic bolt guns having to survive for an entire month. In the process initiates learn team work,survival and combat experience. -Learning how to master their aim with a Bolt Gun. Over time, the Chapter's New Bloods will eventually learn to master these skills, which will enable these potentials to specialise in the same skills every battle-brother of the Chapter must master. If one cannot master their aim with a bolter, a New Blood will most likely join the ranks of the Chapter's Assault Squads. If a New Blood cannot master survival skills and fend for themselves, then they will not join period, or die in the attempt. Chapter Combat Doctrine Though the Successor Chapters operate as individual Chapter, they share the same tactics and overall beliefs as their Progenitors. The Successors are referred to as 'Divisions' by Erichson. These Divisions basically act as an extension of the Master of Silence's forces, though they pretend to operate as independent chapters to allay any suspicion. Ultimately, the Divisions answer to the Master of Silence and his orders, while the Nobles (Chapter Masters of these Successor Chapters) are as puppets, acting as generic chapter masters. If Erichson ever needs something accomplished that his own Chapter cannot do, he'll often give the Silent Raid order, which gives the order to the other Division to carry out his will. The Great Two's tactics specialize in open warfare and marksmanship. Often battle-brothers compete to see who is the best shot. The Great Two is also known to possess amazing zeal, so they are overall, very effective in combat. If The Great Two ever come together during a large-scale invasion or defense they often have the four Nobles speak with the Master of Silence and plan according for the upcoming campaign. With Erichson's tactically brilliant mind, and the advent of his fellow Chapter Masters at his disposal, The Great Two are a formidable foe not be taken lightly. Chapter Serfs The exact number of Serfs are unknown in the chapter, but it is rumored to be a vast amount. The chapter is known to have a great respect for their Serfs. Not just treating them as mindless slaves but as equals. Some times seen the Battle-Brothers will sit down and have a respectful conversation with the Serfs. Serfs generally will be seen walking down halls with Marines and helping in daily activities. Serfs in the chapter have a more major role then what most think.This is the reason why the Knights of the Silence have a deep respect for Serfs. Notable Members *'Master of Silence Erichson' - Erichson is the current Chapter Master of the Knights of the Silence Chapter. The birth place of Erichson is Terra though he prefers to keep it to himself. Erichson is very shady and quiet also prefers to be alone. He is known for his Tactical mind and strategy in warfare he is very smart. Erichson also dislikes the inquisition because he feels like they have a disgusting amount of power. Erichson is also known to be pretty good in combat very skilled with his relic lightning claw. Erichsons flaws is sometimes he can be very moody and short tempered. (Wargear - Artificer Armour, Relic lightning claw and Storm Bolter.) *'Supreme Noble of Silence Arthur Del' - The birth place for Arthur Del is unknown. Arthur was chosen to be the Supreme Noble because he is very wise and is good with tactics. So what this means if Erichson was to die, Arthur would be the next Master of silence. Overall Arthur is a good space marine confident,stoic and smart. And is a figure that everyone in The Great Five admire, even Erichson himself. He does not have many weaknesses, he is decent with his weapon but sometimes can be proven to be a little Naive when it comes to criticism. (Wargear - Artificer Armour and Double Power Axes) *'Knight Champion Marcus Steel' - The birth place for Marcus Steel in unknown. Marcus was very notable for his skills with his hammer. He is another inspiring hero given his title Knight Champion which makes him the greatest hero of The Great Two, Erichson has never seen such Zeal and Aggression before. His personality is mostly Humble,Heroic and very confident. (though he does not always show it). His flaws are little the main one is when in battle he loses control an slays everything. So it is not a good time to command him or chat with him while in battle. (Wargear - Thunder hammer, plasma pistol and Artificer Armour.) *'Count Aurelian' - There is not much known about Aurelian other then his recent brave acts. Aurelian is in command of the second company famous among the chapter for fighting against the Necrons alone. But what is known about him is that he is a very natural leader. He is also known to be seen in battle to be very aware and is quick to notice any little thing. Pointing out a lot and shouting commands, he is was seen to be very Stoic during combat as well inspiring his brothers. (Wargear - Artificer Armour,Power Sword and Plasma Pistol) Enemies * Necrons - '''The Knights of the Silence have a dark history with the Necrons. Most of the encounters with the Necrons have led many brothers to their deaths. Though do not be mistaken the chapter does not hate the Necrons but they respect them. They respect them because they are like no living being, they show no emotion and no fear. The Necrons will always be remembered by the Great Two as the toughest foes they have ever encountered. * '''Orks - The Knights of the Silence also has a bloody history with the Orks. Seen in the conflict known as 'The Saviors' told a very violent encounter between the Orks and the Knights. The conflict ended with the Orks being slaughtered like animals for hours. But in the end left the chapter with scars and many losses. The Knights of the Silence will never forget this encounter and will forever be in the history of the chapter. Allies * Imperial Fists - The Knights of the Silence has very few Allies. And the Imperial Fists is one of them, they are the Knights of the Silence founding chapter. For that they will always have respect for them. The Imperial Fists very much have a positive attitude toward the Knights of the Silence. Still not knowing about their one secret but knowing about the great battles they have been in. Therefore they have spoken about the Knights of Silence with a positive tone and complimenting them for being true sons of Dorn. Notable Quotes By the Knights of Silence 'Brothers! Understand this! You shall give up your lives for the greater good of the chapter! You shall not be forgotten, for this day I slay the Necron Lord! For this day we win! For the Emperor! For Dorn! For the Imperium!' '' — Count Aurelian before destroying the Necron Lord in the conflict known as 'A Hero Emerges''' 'Somewhere Dorn is watching, and we shall not disappoint him! For we are his sons! We shall hold our ground until our final breath! We are what is holding the beast back! for we are death! We are their defeat! And with the enemy's silence we prevail!' '' — Master of Silence Erichson before the Ork charge in the conflict known as 'The Saviors''' Chapter Fleet *''The Silence'' (Enhanced Battleship, Unknown Class) - Flagship of the Knights of the Silence. *'Battle-Barges (x3 per Division)' *'Strike Cruisers (x12 per Division)' *'Gladius Frigates (x4 per Division)' Gallery File:Master of Silence.png|Master of Silence Erichson, Current Chapter Master of the Knights of the Silence. File:Marshal of Silence.png|Supreme Noble of Silence Arthur Del File:Knight Champion.png|A Knights of the Silence, Knight Champion (Chapter Champion) Marcus Steel File:Terminator leader.png|A Knights of the Silence Greater Knight (Terminator Squad Leader). File:Terminator2.png|A Knights of the Silence Greater Knight (Terminator). File:Chaplin.png|A Knights of the Silence Chaplain. File:Count.png|A Knights of the Silence Count (Company Captain). File:Noble.png|A Knights of the Silence Noble. (Chapter Masters for successor chapters) File:Silent brothers.png|A Knights of the Silence Silent Brother. (Honour Guard) File:Veteran.png|A Knights of the Silence Sternguard Knight (Sternguard Veteran). File:Vanguard.png|A Knights of the Silence Vanguard Knight (Vanguard Veteran). File:Assualt.png|A Knights of the Silence Assault Marine (Assault Brother). File:Saquad leader.png|A Knights of the Silence Duke (Squad Leader). File:Scout4.png|A Knights of the Silence New Blood (Scout Marine Squad Leader). File:Scout3.png|A Knights of the Silence New Blood (Scout Marine). Support brother.png|Support Brother (Devastator) brother librians.png|Brother Librarian Healer.png|Healer (Apothecary) Tech masters.png|Tech Master (Tech Marine) Knights of Erichson Battle-Brothers.png|Knights of Erichson Battle-Brother (Successor chapter Tactical) Count Aurelian.png|Count Aurelian (Captain of the 2nd Company) Vanguard sergeant.png|Vanguard Knight Duke (Vanguard veteran Sergeant) Sternguard Sergeant.png|Sternguard Knight Duke (Sternguard veteran sergeant) Silencer knight2-0.png|Knights of the Silence Battle-Brother (Chapter Tactical) Category:Imperium Category:Imperial Fists Successors Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:Space Marines Category:Unknown Founding